The Weather and Climate of West Virginia

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West Virginia by Dr. Kevin T. Law and H. Michael Mogil

The Tibbet Knob overlook in George Washington National Forest. est Virginia is a geographically moves a direct Atlantic Ocean influence from its small state that only covers about weather and climate and ensures that the state’s 24,000 square miles. However, climate is more continental than maritime. The due to two distinct two pan- Allegheny Mountains run north to south along Whandles that protrude to the north and east, the the Virginia border and are largely responsible for state’s dimensions are actually 200 miles square. the state’s east-to-west climatological changes. The northern tip extends farther north than The highest point in the state, Spruce Knob, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while the eastern tip has an elevation of 4,863 feet above sea level. is only 60 miles from Washington, D.C. In ad- In fact, the mean elevation in the state is about dition, the southernmost point is farther south 1,500 feet, which is the highest for any state east than Richmond, Virginia, while the westernmost of the Mississippi River. This is more than 500 point is farther west than Port Huron, Michigan. feet higher than Pennsylvania, the second high- The unusual shape and location of the state has est mean elevation for a state. The topography coined the phrase, “West Virginia is the most varies greatly by county, with some individual southern of the northern states, the most north- counties exhibiting elevation changes of more ern of the southern states, and the most western than 3,000 feet. of the eastern states.” West Virginia’s dramatic topographic transi- Temperature tions result in a unique and highly variable cli- Temperatures statewide average about 52°F and mate and weather regime, especially when one naturally increase southward. In the mountains, crosses the state perpendicular to the Allegheny however, elevation changes lead to decreases of Mountains. West Virginia’s inland location re- approximately 5 to 10°F, keeping the annual av-

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Precipitation The average annual precipitation of West Virginia is about 44 inches. However, the pattern of the precipitation is strongly influenced by the physical geography, namely, the Allegheny Mountains. Beginning at westernmost points near Huntington and along the Ohio River, where the elevation is approximately 500 feet, precipitation values average near 40 inches per year. Traveling eastward into areas consisting of rolling hills and valleys, the elevation gradually

USDA AND NRCS NATIONAL WATER AND CLIMATE CENTER AND CLIMATE WATER ANDUSDA NRCS NATIONAL increases to 750 to 2,000 feet above sea level. This area, which is located in the Ohio River watershed, experiences annual precipitation up to 50 inches, with a major contribution linked to orographic uplift. The elevation dramati- cally increases eastward, reaching altitudes of The average yearly precipitation in West Virginia from 1961–1990. up to 3,500 feet across the Allegheny Plateau. It is in this rugged ridge-and-valley region that erage locked into the 40s. During the winter, the the highest annual precipitation values are re- average daily temperature is about 32°F, while in corded. Pickens (in Randolph County) receives the summer it is about 70°F. Regardless of sea- more than 64 inches a year on average. The ridge son, the daily temperature range runs between 20 of the Alleghenies (with peak elevations of just and 25°F. The record high temperature of 112°F over 4,800 feet) lies just east of the plateau. The occurred in Martinsburg in 1936, and the record ridge line divides the Ohio River watershed from low temperature of –37°F occurred in Lewisburg the Potomac/Chesapeake Bay watershed, which in 1917. The record high occurred in one of the drains the eastern third of the state. Precipitation warmest years on record; in fact, 15 other states decreases substantially east of the ridge due to have their record annual high temperature shar- the orographic rain-shadow effect. As the eleva- ing the same year. tion rapidly decreases, so too does precipitation.

14 WEATHERWISE ■ MARCH / APRIL 2011 Here, the South Branch (of the Potomac) Valley, Clouds and Fog with less than 36 inches of precipitation, is the West Virginia is also one of the more cloudy driest area in the state. The eastern panhandle areas of the country. Beckley, Elkins, and also consists of steep slopes and valleys oriented Huntington all average about 200 days per southwest to northeast. Again, elevation in this year with overcast conditions. These locations rain shadow region decreases rapidly, reaching are among the cloudiest in the eastern United approximately 240 feet, the lowest in the state. States. Fog is predominantly responsible, and Similarly, rainfall drops off, as well. Only about it is prevalent throughout the state due to two 40 inches of precipitation falls near Harper’s primary factors. The first factor is linked to high Ferry along the Potomac. evapotranspiration rates from extensive forest Annual snowfall totals show a similar geo- cover. The second factor is rapid nighttime radia- graphic pattern, with lower values in the south- tion loss from elevated locations and the ensu- western lowlands near Huntington and “snow- ing cold air drainage that often fills valleys. This shadow” regions in the eastern part of the state. combination causes West Virginia to be one of Higher values are also focused in the northern the foggiest locations in the country, with several mountains. The annual snowfall ranges from 12 towns reporting dense fog (visibilities below 0.25 to 24 inches in those southwestern lowlands, miles) for at least 40 days per year. while it is greater than 72 inches in the mountains. West Virginia is the southernmost state in Major Weather Events the east that experiences snowfall amounts this West Virginia has a wide array of severe great. Snowfall amounts in the Alleghenies rival weather including thunderstorms and snow- those found in favorable lake-effect areas in New storms. Tornadoes are rare (only an average of York and Pennsylvania. two per year), primarily because of the climate NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PARK NATIONAL

West Virginia is one of the foggiest locations in the country. Here, fog swirls around the base of the New River Gorge Bridge.

WWW.WEATHERWISE.ORG ■ WEATHERWISE 15 THE MOOREFIELD EXAMINER

In 1985 the remnants of Hurricane Juan produced flash floods across the state. Here, Main Street in Moorefield, West Virginia, stands under several feet of water.

created by the state’s unique topography. The few that do occur are usually minor in intensity. However, during the famous April 3-4, 1974, na- tionwide tornado outbreak there were at least six tornadoes reported in the state. On April 9, 1991, a derecho event developed from a bow echo that THE MOOREFIELD EXAMINER raced across the state. Winds exceeded 80 mph in many parts of the state, with more than 200,000 residents losing electricity. Two deaths and 86 in- juries were also attributed to these high winds. Not since the 1974 tornado super-outbreak had there been so much damage. However, flooding is by far the deadliest and costliest weather-related disaster in the state. Every year, heavy rainfall over the steep, rugged topography creates flood or flash flood events. The two most memorable flood events occurred in 1937 and 1985.

1937 Great Ohio River Flood The 1937 flood remains on the record books for the southwestern part of the state near The 1985 flooding wreaked havoc across Moorefield, West Virginia, including the Heck’s Huntington. This flood affected all parts of the General Store.

16 WEATHERWISE ■ MARCH / APRIL 2011 Ohio River from Pennsylvania to Illinois but hit was shut off in the city for more than a week, and especially hard in southwestern West Virginia. natural gas was not available for 40 percent of The river at Huntington crested at 69 feet (19 the residents for two weeks. Five residents died feet above flood stage), a record that still stands and there was more than $18 million (in 1937 today. Heavy rainfall occurred over a two-week dollars) in damages linked to the event. After period from January 13 to 25 that year, with the Great Ohio River Flood, 39 flood-control amounts ranging from 6 to 12 inches in the re- dams were built upstream to prevent such a cata- gion. This was four times the average January strophic flood from occurring again. precipitation and amounted to almost 20 percent of the average annual total. The persistent warm 1985 Flash Flooding January rainfall on already saturated ground It is not uncommon for West Virginia to re- (from December snow-cover melt) coupled with ceive heavy rainfall from tropical cyclones mak- the drainage from neighboring regions created ing landfall (e.g., Hurricane Camille, 1969; unprecedented flooding. Local newspapers re- Hurricane Ivan, 2004), but in 1985 the rem- ported that small buildings were floating down nants of Hurricane Juan produced flooding that the streets and that homes were pushed off of residents will never forget. Hurricane Juan made their foundations. Many homes and buildings landfall in Louisiana as a Category 1 storm and were without power and heat because of blown gradually moved toward the northeast. As Juan fuses and electrical wiring faults. Restaurants ran weakened and became extratropical, it interacted out of food and it was estimated that 6,000 peo- with an upper-level low-pressure system that was ple in the city were left homeless. Drinking water “cut off” from the main flow. As Juan’s remnants NOAA

The surface and upper air weather maps for November 26, 1950, shows the The Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950, which dropped as much as 57 inches of snow on parts of the state.

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This satellite image shows the extent of the 1993 superstorm, which dropped at least 12 inches of snow across the majority of the state, while the western slopes of the mountains received 24 to 48 inches. stalled over the state, persistent rainfall ensued. This allowed cold air to funnel over the state On November 5, more than 5 inches of rain fell from the northwest, while Atlantic moisture in the mountains. The resulting flash flooding moved in from the southeast. This provided the was intensified as water was channeled through ingredients for a legendary snowstorm over the relatively narrow valleys and canyons. Entire following three days. Most of the state reported towns (such as Rowlesburg and Paw Paw) were at least 24 inches of snow. Elkins received almost destroyed. The Monongahela, Cheat, Potomac, 30 inches, Parkersburg 34 inches, and Pickens and all rivers in north-central West Virginia set 57 inches. But it was Coburn Creek that logged record crests that still hold today. Nearly 50 peo- an amazing 62 inches. An arctic air mass came ple drowned as a result of the swiftly rising and in behind the system and brought bitterly cold fast-moving waters. temperatures (dropping to near zero in some If rainfall is deemed a significant event in West locales). Other areas in the United States had Virginia, then snowfall could rival it for impact. record cold temperatures with this storm system, Consider these three major events: including Chicago (–2°F) and Louisville (–1°F). Along the East Coast, a full-blown “nor’easter” The Great Appalachian Storm of 1950 evolved, with Newark, New Jersey, report- The Great Appalachian Storm of November ing a gust of 108 mph and Mt. Washington, 1950 remains as the record for the western New Hampshire, clocking a gust of 160 mph. slopes of the Central Appalachians. It began In nearby Columbus, Ohio, the Ohio State- near Chesapeake Bay on November 25, looking Michigan football game went on as scheduled, like a coastal system. However, the storm started despite blizzard conditions. Nearly 50,000 fans developing toward the northwest in a retrograde showed up to watch the “Blizzard Bowl,” with a manner as the upper level low became “cut off.” Rose Bowl berth the payoff. Michigan won the

18 WEATHERWISE ■ MARCH / APRIL 2011 game 9-3 without making a single first down and these locations were very close to all-time state only gaining 27 yards on offense. records too. The unofficial seasonal totals for Davis and Bayard were 251.4 and 284.8 inches, 1993 March Superstorm respectively. These would just fall short of the The so-called “Storm of the Century” affected state seasonal snowfall record set in Kumbrabow the entire East Coast of the United States. The State Forest of 301.4 inches in 1959-1960. storm started as a Gulf low on March 12 and then It is West Virginia’s topography that drives the rapidly intensified thanks to a deep upper-level dramatic characteristics of the state’s weather and trough that extended to the Gulf Coast and al- climate. The rapid changes in elevation cause dra- lowed cold air to penetrate far to the south. The matic variations in temperature and precipitation, center of the low (with extremely low pressure in an otherwise small geographical area. While the readings) began to quickly track up the eastern lowlands generally have very mild and temperate seaboard. As with the 1950 storm event, the mix conditions, the mountainous regions have much of cold air from the northwest and moisture from cooler conditions and much more precipitation. the southeast provided the setting for a major Flooding continues to be the state’s worst natural snowstorm event. hazard, thanks to runoff from higher terrain being Snow started to fall in southern West Virginia funneled into narrow river valleys. Occasional in- on the evening of March 12. Heavy snow almost tense extratropical cyclones can bring some of the covered the entire state on March 13 when the most impressive snowfall totals found anywhere in center of the low was southeast of West Virginia. the eastern United States. West Virginia’s tour- When the low was near Washington, D.C., the ism slogan can also certainly apply to the state’s central pressure was approximately 960 millibars weather and climate; they can be “Wild and (28.35 inches of mercury), with pressures across Wonderful” too. W the entire state of West Virginia below 980 millibars (28.94 inches of mercury). Category 2 DR. KEVIN T. LAW is an Associate Professor at Marshall hurricanes often have pressures around 960 mil- University and is State Climatologist of West Virginia; H. libars. The snow began to taper off the morning MICHAEL MOGIL is is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist of March 14. and science writer living in Naples, Florida. At least 12 inches of snow covered the majority of the state, while the western slopes of the mountains received 24 to 48 inches. Snowshoe, a noted ski resort, reported 44 inches of snow. MeteOrOlOgy Most impressive was that all of this snow fell at MillerSville in just a little more than 24 hours! As with the 1950 storm, very cold temperatures were in place Offering a B.S. in Meteorology all over the eastern United States, along with B.S. degrees in Geology, some impressive wind gusts due to the extremely Ocean Sciences & Coastal Studies, strong pressure gradient around a very intense Earth Sciences Education low-pressure system. However, since this storm www.millersville.edu/esci was in March, temperatures quickly rose the next week and the rapid snowmelt created more flooding for the state.

Snowy February 2010 February 2010 was one of the snowiest in the state’s history. Two major snowstorms struck the mid-Atlantic region during the month, along • Dedicated Faculty and Staff with cold temperatures that allowed for other • Deep Resources & Modern Facilities snow systems to persist. Unofficially, Davis, in • Undergraduate Research Opportunities Tucker County, reported 116.6 inches of snow • Technology-infused Contemporary and Davis, in Tucker County, reported 11.6 Curriculum inches of snow and Bayard, in Grant County, • Inspiring Student-centered Learning received 158.2 inches in February alone! These and Skills Development snow totals eclipsed the old record of 88 inches in Pickens in 1964, making Bayard the new state monthly snowfall record. The amount of snowfall that fell in February 2010 normally matches Millersville University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution. seasonal averages. In fact, the seasonal totals for A member of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. AD3843b Weatherwise Magazine, 2.25 x 4.75”, Mar/Apr 2011 iss.